Gayle Coates Wigglesworth is both a creative and business whiz. She moved to San Francisco and developed her life there, combining skills to become a Senior Vice President in the banking industry, while at the same time becoming a potter; a wonderful cook; and a writer. She and her husband eventually moved to Houston for another position. She has written three Claire Gulliver mysteries and is currently at work on her fourth, titled CRUISIN’ FOR A BRUISIN’.
Claire Gulliver is a librarian who retired when her uncle died and left her a book store in San Francisco. Claire updates the store and calls it “Gulliver’s Travels,” and specializes in all things travel. She naturally gets pulled into travel herself, and it seems that everywhere she goes she gets into a scrape. Her current escapade involves travel to Florence, where her mother, Millie,is involved in a prestigious cooking school. Claire is shocked when she recognizes a friend she thought was dead…she had gone to her funeral…riding by on a bike. She returns to the spot where she saw her, and her friend Kristen admits that she is in hiding after witnessing a brutal murder by a mobster she had dated. While her mother Millie deals with some odd happenings at the cooking school, Claire takes off with her friend to protect her from the bad guys: “‘I’m leaving town. I’ve got to get out of here right away. That time someone bombed the Uffizi, they closed the city down. None of the buses, trains or even cars could get in or out. I need to get out now before that happens.’ ‘But where will you go? How will you be sure you’re safe?’ Kristen shrugged. ‘I can’t be sure, but I have some disguises and I’ll try to find somewhere to light until I can connect up with my controller.’ Claire nodded, then making up her mind she said, ‘I’m going with you.'”
Wigglesworth has created a thoroughly delightful franchise with the Claire Gulliver mysteries. Claire is a somewhat over-protected thirty-something who has more guts than she realizes. She is observant and brave, and is a loyal friend who knows right from wrong. She has made a valuable friend in Jack, a C.I.A. agent who manages to turn up in the nick of time when Claireis in trouble. Their relationship develops over the three novels, but Wigglesworth cleverly stops short of a full-blown romance. INTRIGUE IN ITALICS also includes Italian cooking at its best.
Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI, USA)
